THE REVOLVER, A Golden Cafe Racer now in Australia.

The REVOLVER : This old 1976 Honda is gonna get a make over.

 

Here are the good photos, then below the ones I took with my phone to show you the build up and what I had to start with.

I put so much work into this machine and it really did turn out to be a Jewel, just like the Gauge faces I designed.

 

The Gold flake I bought and had to spend about 2 weeks getting the frame shaved and smoothed before even applying the base coat.

 

This bike was built and shipped to the other side of the world to Australia where it now resides.

 

I am sure you wont even notice half the detail I have put into this machine but I really wanted to keep this bike once I had finished it.

This really was a fun creation and it certainly drew a crowd where ever it went, the gold flake really did its job well and stunned man people looking at it.

I wouldn’t mind building another in this guise as it just is a cool piece of art as well a great riding stance. the Motor was built to a tasty 836 and ported, then the bike got tons of cool Original parts like the 70’s velocity stacks etc.

I should of taken more photos of this bike as I get many emails asking about it and what I did to it.

 

I know- I know, you cannot stop looking at it, its a rich Aztec Gold flake with tons of clear coat on that puppy.

Yes, Gold bolts and gold Shocks etc as I wanted this bike to have some sort of flow to it and I believe I did create that look, the Gold Chain is a $230 DID and boy does it hold together well.

Yes, one of our swing arms that we Chromed, came out pretty cool and I am glad i went that route as it all ties in with the name revolver as they are like Bullet holes.

I machined the forks and magnafluxed them, then polished a rebuilt, as well as polished the front caliper and drilled the brake rotor.

 

The bike took on its very own unique look and I loves the aggressive stance to the bike.

 

 

 

I fitted one of our Yoshimura style 4 into 1 exhaust systems to this bike and it sounded like a scowled Cat!

The front end of the revolver did look quite menacing and we actually lowered the front of this motorcycle 2 inches.

Just look at all the detail, I added Braided Throttle cables, Tach and speedometer cable, as well as the Clutch cable too.

I like to use the good old Bridgestone tires and have used them for decades.

So many cool parts that we sell on this bike, the rear sets, the engine mounts, exhaust, oil breather, battery, leads, velocity stacks, pretty much all you see here you can get from us.

Just a well rounded Custom Built machine and the Customer got all they asked for and much much more and now it is on the other side of the globe.

 

Polished hubs that are all rebuilt and then Painted rims with stainless spokes is a great contrast to the bike and am glad I chose to go this route on the build.

A Classic stance of a Classic Cafe Racer, this is something that I loved to build and could use all my creativity and the customer was over the moon with it.

I hope that you enjoyed the photo’s of this machine? the build is below but thought you would want to see the cool photos first.

So, here is the build up of the bike known as The Revolver!

Just some little video I did the other day.

Here we go with a super cool ride that I have been commisioned to create for a Rocking, Bopping Girl that loves bikes and Muscle cars.

This thing is gonna really turn some heads when I am finished and once completed, will be shipped to the otherside of the globe.

So, I chose an old snotter that I had in my back yard, it has sat for over 20 years and about 5 years in my garden, so there is all sorts of crap all over it and more spiders than an Aracnaphobia movie.

So, once I busted a nut pulling the Monster from the back yard, I had to lift it in the back of my Silverado and get it to my shop.

Hoping that the wind from driving along the freeway may blow some of the cobwebs and snot off, as it sure is gonna be some task to sort this thing out.

But I have done this many times and I am sure that this will be a great looking ride and she will have miles of smiles for sure.

This bike was an old Drag racing machine that was riden to the track and raced all night and then ridden home.

But that was well over 20 years or so ago and this bike really is in need of a total restoration, and I will pull the bike completly apart, take the motor out and get the frame all cleaned up.

There is rust on the frame too and I can see there was quite a bit of Bondo work put on to cover the factory welds, but, they have all got contaminated with weather and I am going to not only strip the paint, but will have to dip the whole frame in a Costic Soda tank to remove everything thats on there, so I can begin with a fresh clean frame.

The gas tank is totally goosed but I shall be using a 750F gas tank on this build, as this is what the customer wanted and it will really make the bike flow, I shall also be ditching the seat from here and using one of my Clubman seats, as thats a great set up and brings you a little lower to the floor.

This frame needs some additional work as I will be stretching the rear of this chassis, to accomodate the seat section.

The front fender is too rusted to save and will probably fit one of my Shortened Race fenders to it, as well as making the front forks look more appealing.

I think the rims will be replaces and I am going to use steel rims, but paint them Black and make this a stealthy set of rollers to offset the frame, as the frame is gonna be a killer full metalflake Gold.

Totally cool set up and this will have some real neat touches to it.

The Motor has sat for years and is seized up soild, so- A total strip and replacement of parts if going to be needed, and I think this will be banged out to 836cc using a Wisco set up that i am now a Dealer for.

But I have to get all the crap off the motor before I even attempt to pull it out of the frame.

As I said, this is a challenge- but once completed, you will never know to look at it- that it was the same bike.

I took this apart at the shop and boy did it take some time to remove parts, as many bolts were either seized, or the heads were rounded off etc, plenty of swearing and banging , late into the night was heard from my shop.

But I got it done and the frame is now on its own, I have stuck the seat base on to see how much I want to change the frame itself.

And I am sure this is going to work out pretty good in the end, and am eager to start the process now and mold this thing into something really cool.

I cut the old brackets off and any tabs, as well as the old exhaust triangle bracket and shortened it, so that the rear set will fit snug.

Now the frame needs some work and a new back bone made and tig welded to the rear.

This will give it more length and strangth and the seat can bolt up alot easier from within the frame.

This will really help with the clubman seat and boy will it strengthen everything, I am happy with the outcome of this set up amd may offer some kits to do your own like this.

Now that all the parts are grounded off, this will be ready to get dipped and then blasted to make sure everything is cleaner the my cats sausage.

Well, the frame came out really clean and I am stoked that this has no bad faults with it and will make the painting process a lot easier to be honest.

Now here we are with all the GOLD flake on the chassis, this was cleared over 3 times as well, just to add to the dazzle.

You should be able to see this from the Monn.

Now the rebuild continues and this will really be something else once altogether.

Right, first off I have to build the front end. So I have taken the stock triple tree and Chromed the lower section, and polished the top to a chrome finish.

This looks really classic now and offsets the sparkle of the frame.

I fit new bearings too and new hardware to make this as smooth as silk to turn.

This time I went ahead and powder coated the Clubman bars a gloss black, as this will offset it all and match the tires and the Motor, so everything kinda flows.

This is a fun build for sure. And will continue to be as I go along.

OK, the forks were in need of dire repair and wanted to strip all the crap off them.

I then machined the forks with my signature styling and rebuilt the internals and NOS fork cap.

Front end is taking shape and everything seems to be flowing nicely, I love this machine already.

The front wheel is now all rebuilt, it has Powder coated rim, with polished stainless steel spokes, the hub is polished but- the centers painted a gloss Black, this really looks the ticket now.

Also new tire and tube fitted and I hand drilled the front rotor to finish the front end off.

Even the speedodrive unit got polished to hell.

The frame and the Chrome and Black is a really good combination.

Ok I am gonna really push the boat on this and next is a cool rear swing arm that is my design.

Not only is it a boxed dresda style swingarm, it is detailed and chromed, I love this set up and am sure you will too.

This will definatly turn heads and it really is a cool piece that will make the rest of the bike flow.

I have also fitted a cool set of shocks to this with new bushings etc.

I cut the frame at the lower end to allow for rear sets too, this will be so much fun to ride.

I like the swing arm set up and am pleased how easy it fitted into the frame.

OK, now time for the rear wheel set up and the brake system.

This will be as detailed as the rest of the bike and want this to stand out as well.

I used a new rim this times as the old one was shot to bits, so took the chrome off the new rim and powder coated it Gloss black.

Then the hub was all polished and sprayed the center black.

I then had stainless spokes thrown in for a great looking set up that will last a long time.

I turned my attention to the rear brake hub, this time it needed a lot of cleaning and I did all that by hand, then it was time for me to start frilling my signature styling in this hub.

I never have a pattern, i just go with the flow and what ever turns out is what it will be.

I really enjoy this parts for some reason and take a long long time to get it how I want and my arms are killing me as I drill this by hand.

After I have the effect I am happy with, I clean it all again and then buff the balls out of it, until it looks like a milky chrome finish.

Now, this looks really cool, so I then rebuild all the brakes using new parts, new shoes, new springs and even new cam.

Once this is all together, I fit a new brake arm, but this one I drilled and powder coated Black to give the offset and boy does it work well.

The wheel of course gets a new rear tire that is nice and fat and should sit well in that Chrome swing arm.

I am stoked the way the swing arm looks, and fitting the 16 inch rear wheel inside that void, will definatly make this rear end look tougher than old bacon.

I also used one of my New axles and of course my Finned rear wheel spacer, just to add to the detail.

I shall be running a $250 X- ring chain to make sure this thing gets down the road with no issues.

I Could not use the original brake rod, as it was a rusty as some of the old Gas tanks I have had in my yard.

But, I now have New brake rods available and use them on all my creations now, stops the headache of trying to bend the rods back into shape.

I cleaned the brake arm up and fitted to the frame, making sure to add a dab of grease inside the frame, so she moves smoothly.

Then I fitted the brake rod and used New Honda brake hardware, so everything is clean and looks great.

Be like a Brand new machine when all is said and done and many miles of smiles are gonna be had, that’s for certain.

Right, next up, I wanted to spend some time working on the old Gauges, as they had seen better days, with 30 odd years of sun, rain, wind and crap etc, these took a real battering.

These were in need of some ressarecting and I thought that I could strip all these and make some cool custom Gauges that would set the front of the bike off really well.

Now I am stoked how this came out.

I used Gold Flake this time.

You will notice that I have put Bollocks at the end of the speedometer reading, a great expression for OMG.

The faces of these set the frame off too and all hopefully flows in the design I have come up with.

I am sure these will get many comments where ever they see this machine in Australia.

And I am having fun with this build, this is gonna be a real kick arse bike for sure.

Right, The wheel is all laced and with Polished Stainless spokes, new tube and a big fat Bridgestone tire, this will fill the Custom chrome rear swing arm out nicely.

See how cool it looks? I love this set up and am sure Jess will too?

New Brake rod and all the internals are new as I am a distributer for EBC brakes now so good stopping power.

The flake frame is awesome and now the task of putting her all back together.

So this time I am putting the Motor in, it is now an 836cc and will have fully rebuilt carbs too.

The Engine will be a mix of High temp wrinkle Black ( Kinda Hot Roddy) and some cool hand polished aluminum.

The motor is in and now needs to be detailed out.

I still have to polish paint and fit the finned parts of which I am going to re-cast again.

This is gonna look tasty for sure.

A long way to go as yet, I have ordered a New wire harness from Japan, I also have ordered New switches, i had one of them turn up from Tokyo yesterday and will be fitting that to the handlebar tomorrow.

The switches are going to be New old stock too.

But all taking shape nicely.

I am making the steel Gas tank and also engine mounts with a few cool details thrown in for good measure, its fun but long days at the shop but I am glad I do this and have been for 10 years in the states now.

Oil pressure gauge will be fitted, just drill and tap the oil Galley plug, fit my elbow and your choice of gauge, this time I wanted to Hot Rod it a bit so chose to fit a MOON gauge.

The Bike is taking great shape, the carbs are now ready to get fitted, as they are all rebult inside, the carbs will be sincronized once the Motor is running.

But this has the tops of the carbs and the bottom bowls polished, to make this stand out.

I also located a Original set of Aluminum velocity stacks for this ride.

These really well set off this machine.

Look how cool these are on the Carbs now.

I dig the whole set up now.

Alright, I have now started to get more stuff done and have been burning the candle at both ends recently.

Next up for me was to cut and fit a X-Ring Chain, I use these all the time on my machines, they are Bloody expensive but-worth every penny,.

So, I put the chain on the bike, taking all that crap paste all over it so i can handle the damn thing, measure where I want to shorten the chain and then I mark the chain with a Black Sharpie.

I then grind the head of the rivets off, as that saves my chain breaker from bending the pin, and then use the Chain breaker to take the chain apart.

I simply fit the chain and adjust the wheel adjusters for the correct slack that is required for this ride.

The Chain looks great with gold and black and is a super strong set up I always use these chains.

Now I need to get the old front sprocket cover and clean all the oil, grime and snot from it, so it is clean enough for me to handle.

Then I drill the thing to a pattern I like and see where it takes me.

Now thats all polished up, she is ready to fit over the New chain and sprockets and add New stainless Allen bolts too.

This now looks way better don’t you think??

I have now sorted that out and now on to other things on this ride, this time I have bought New levers for the clutch and the front brake.

Now to fit to the NEW left hand side handlebar switch. Notice New adjuster too.

I will make some braided hoses up for the front brake set up and this will be a nice looking front end.

I like the way this is coming along now, not too much more Mechanical to do, then its body work and thats gonna be a Royal pain in the Arse.

OK, next is to get some braided lines for the throttles, Now, I cannot make these, simply because I do not have the tooling for it, but- a local company to me can make them for me.

The throttle cables, the clutch cable, the speedometer cable and the tach cable will all have the silver braided hose effect, this is cool and adds to the bike.

But beware, this is not a cheap option.

Your looking at over $500 for this set up, so you may want to just go with the stock black cables right now.

These really are cool pieces and am glad I went this route on the bike.

I have also added braided hose to the front brake caliper and up to the master cylinder.

Next up is electrical and of course Coils etc.

I have purchased Brand New Genuine HONDA coils and plug caps, as this is such a nice ride, I cannot go any other way to be honest.

So I am now fitting these to the frame, I usually run the throttle cables under the coil body and run the harness along side the frame rail.

Next up is to now work inside the headlight, as when you fit Clubman handle bars, and you have the stock switches, well, the wiring is way too long to use, else you will some how have to bunch all that excess up and see if it will fit inside the 7″ headlight bucket, and most of the time it will not and probably will pul some of the connectors from out of their holders if you try that route.

So what I do is simply shorten the wiring for the switches by about 10-12 inches, I snip them off with wire cutters and then I cut back the outer sleeve, and expose the colored wires.

From then, I simply strip the wires back and then fit the Honda Rubber sleeve and then I use the Honda male or female connector and crimp them in place, exactly the same as Honda used to do back in the day.

The wires are still the same color sequences and simply connect all them back together again.

Then the headlight will fit in the bucket with no issues.

I also then fitted a Brand New non- maintenance Battery, and a new Positive terminal strap that I purchased from japan, once that was completed, I fitted a rubber battery strap across the thing to make sure all is safe and secure.

I always use a battery tender of some sort on all the bikes I create, its always good to have a strong battery if you are going to use the starter motor and this set up will always give you a strong a responsive battery.

I also wire a temporary rear tail light and turn signals, and also made a new front headlight socket, of which I shall offer for sale soon on the parts page.

I hooked the headlight up and tested it with the NEW ignition switch I purchased, and all works well, I am a happy guy now thats out of the way.

I did the same with the rear tail light and that works fine, I also checked the Horn, and the starter button and as expected, all worked as it should do with no issues at all.

Brand new igniton switch thats a genuine Honda part from japan, as this is a must for me, .

The bike is coming together neicly now.

Try and treat your self to a battery tender, as once it is plugged in, it will only use maybe a penny a day, as it only charges when the battery needs topping up with power.

I use this strap on all the bikes these days.

The Gas tank is looking cool now.

The bike sits well and I  am happy with the end result.

The paint work really is a nice touch and in the sun it will really gleam on it and show the metalflake to its sharpest quality.

This is just a cool ride, what ever way you look at it.

This has turned out to be a really cool build and was fun to be a  part of.

it is now on its way to Australia where the New owner will have a Blast with the Revolver.

I notice many others into it and using my designs and techniques, but- they will be onto other things later and I will always build bikes and Hot Rods, its MY way of life, not just a job.

I have always dug older stuff, especially 50’s style Hot rods.

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